Leave for officers of elections. Requiresstate and private employers to allow officers or employees who areappointed as officers of election to take leaves of absence fromtheir respective duties without loss of seniority, accrued leave,benefits, or efficiency rating on all days during which any suchofficer or employee has been assigned to work as an officer of electionin a polling place.
Absentee voting in person; voter satellite offices; establishment on the campus of certain public institutions of highereducation. Requires, for any general election, at least one votersatellite office to be established on the campus of any baccalaureatepublic institution of higher education that has more than 3,000 enrolledstudents. The bill directs the State Council of Higher Educationfor Virginia to report each year to the State Board of Electionsthe number of enrolled students, as defined by the bill, at eachbaccalaureate public institution of higher education and requiresthe State Board to use this number to determine which institutionsmeet the enrollment threshold for requiring an on-campus voter satelliteoffice for the general election held the following year. The governingbody of a county or city where a baccalaureate public institutionof higher education meeting the enrollment threshold is located,or the general registrar serving such county or city, shall collaboratewith the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to selecta location for the establishment and operation of a voter satelliteoffice on such institution's campus. The location selected shallbe within the student activity center on the institution's campus,unless such placement creates an undue burden on the operation ofsuch institution, in which case the location selected shall be centrallylocated on the institution's campus.
Study; JLARC; barrier crimes for employeesof and persons regulated by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; report. Directs the Joint LegislativeAudit and Review Commission to study barrier crimes for employeesof and persons regulated by the Department of Behavioral Health andDevelopmental Services. The resolution requires JLARC in conductingthe study to (i) identify all barrier crimes and related exceptionsfor employees of and persons regulated by the Department; (ii) determine(a) whether any offenses should be removed from such list of barriercrimes, (b) whether any barrier crime exceptions and waiver processesshould be broadened, and (c) whether the required amount of timethat must pass after conviction of certain barrier crimes shouldbe shortened; and (iii) identify other changes that could be made to such barrier crime laws that would improve the organization, effectiveness, and fairness of such provisions. The resolution requires JLARC toreport its finding to the Governor and the General Assembly by thefirst day of the 2025 Regular Session.
Adoption; parental placement and agency adoption. Makesvarious changes to statutes governing parental placement and agency adoptions.The bill authorizes a hospital to release a child to his adoptive parents when thebirth parent has executed a health care power of attorney. The bill providesthat when a juvenile and domestic relations district court enters an orderwaiving the consent of one or both birth parents who have failed, without goodcause, to appear at a hearing to execute consent for which they were givenproper notice and transferring custody of a child who has been in the physicalcare and custody of prospective adoptive parents, such adoption shall beconsidered a parental placement adoption. The bill also allows the juvenile anddomestic relations court to find, even if a birth parent has been given propernotice and appears at a hearing to execute consent or withholds consent, thatthe consent of such birth parent is withheld contrary to the best interest ofthe child or is unobtainable. The bill also clarifies that the effect of anorder of the juvenile and domestic relations district court accepting a birthparent's consent and finding that any applicable revocation period has expiredis to terminate a consenting birth parent's residual parental rights. The billprovides that a juvenile and domestic relations court shall accept consent froman out-of-state birth parent. Under current law, a juvenile and domesticrelations district court is required to request consent from an out-of-statecourt having jurisdiction over custody matters in the jurisdiction where abirth parent resides when such birth parent does not reside in theCommonwealth.The bill adds licensed child-placing agencies and prospectiveadoptive parents to those with the authority to consent to surgical and medicaltreatment of certain minors, subject to certain requirements. The billdecreases from 45 to 10 days the time for which a hearing is required to beheld upon the filing of a petition for the approval of an entrustment agreementby a local board of social services or a child welfare agency. The bill alsomakes technical amendments.
Divorce; cruelty, reasonable apprehension ofbodily hurt, or willful desertion or abandonment; divorce from bedand board. Eliminates the one-year waiting period for being decreeda divorce on the grounds of cruelty, reasonable apprehension of bodilyhurt, or willful desertion or abandonment by either party. The billalso repeals the provision allowing for a divorce from bed and boardon the grounds of cruelty, reasonable apprehension of bodily hurt,or willful desertion or abandonment. The provisions of the bill applyto suits for divorce filed on or after July 1, 2024.
Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity; disparity study. Requires the Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity to conduct a disparity study every five years, the next due no later than January 1, 2026. The study shall evaluate the need for enhancement and remedial measures to address the disparity between the availability and the utilization of women-owned and minority-owned businesses. This bill was incorporated into HB 1404.
Firearm locking device required for sale or transfer of handguns; child safety warning required; penalty. Makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor for any licensed manufacturer, licensed importer, or licensed dealer to sell, deliver, or transfer any handgun to any person, other than a licensed manufacturer, licensed importer, or licensed dealer, unless the transferee is provided with a locking device for such handgun and the handgun is accompanied by a warning, in conspicuous and legible type in capital letters printed on a label affixed to the gun and on a separate sheet of paper included within the packaging enclosing the handgun, that handguns should be locked and kept away from children and that there may be civil and criminal liability for failing to do so. The bill provides exceptions for law-enforcement and governmental agencies. This bill was incorporated into HB 158.
Elections; conduct of election; ranked choice voting; locally elected offices; report. Allows elections for any local or constitutional office to be conducted by ranked choice voting. Under current law, only elections of members of a county board of supervisors or a city council are allowed to be conducted by ranked choice voting. The bill also clarifies requirements for conducting elections using ranked choice voting and requires results for elections conducted by ranked choice voting to be reported along with other results reported on election night, except that such results must clearly be identified as preliminary and based on the first rankings in a ranked choice voting election. The bill provides that final tabulation for an election for a local or constitutional office that is not shared by more than one county or city is required to be conducted on the same day as other results are canvassed by the local electoral board and that final tabulation for and election for a local or constitutional office that is shared by more than one county or city is required to be conducted at a centralized facility under the supervision of the Department of Elections. The bill specifies that ranking data is required to be made publicly available by the Department and requires the State Board of Elections to provide standards and to approve vote tabulating software for use with existing voting systems in elections conducted by ranked choice voting. The bill also limits a risk-limiting audit of an election conducted using ranked choice voting to the first choice rankings reported on voting systems. Finally, the bill directs the Department to review the testing and approval framework for voting equipment in the Commonwealth and submit a report of such review no later than the first day of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly.
Department of Motor Vehicle records; vehicleregistration; penalties. Provides that failing to notify theDepartment of Motor Vehicles of a change in address within 30 daysof a move and failing to renew a vehicle registration, as requiredby existing law, are traffic infractions punishable by a fine of$30.
International Registration Plan; temporary registration authorization. Authorizes the issuance of a temporary registrationdocument valid for no more than 45 days for a vehicle with a pendingregistration application with the International Registration Plan.The bill requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to permit authorizedmotor carrier representatives to (i) update the registration or titlerecord of the vehicle electronically and in real time through theVirginia Motor Carrier System and (ii) regardless of whether suchrecord has been updated electronically or in person, retrieve registrationtags in person at a Department branch office or by mail.
Stolen license plates. Requires the Departmentof Motor Vehicles, when notified that a license plate has been stolen,to cancel or invalidate such license plate and issue replacementlicense plates. The bill requires the Department to include a noticethat such license plate has been reported stolen in its databaseand in any data released to third parties.
Board of Education; out-of-school time programs;exemptions from licensure; conditions and requirements. Exemptsfrom licensure any out-of-school time program that (i) serves onlyschool-age children; (ii) operates primarily after or before regularschool hours, during the summer, or at times when school is not normallyin session; (iii) is offered for the purpose of promoting expandedchildhood learning and enrichment, child and youth development, oreducational, recreational, or character-building activities; and(iv) receives and maintains Board of Education certification to operate without a license. The billprovides that any Board-certified, license-exempt out-of-school timeprogram that fails to comply with the conditions set forth in thebill shall receive from the Superintendent notice of such noncompliancewith an explanation that if such noncompliance is not resolved withina reasonable period of the time, as determined by the Board, theSuperintendent may, at his discretion, deny, suspend, or revoke such program's certification and require it to be licensed.
